Diarrhoea bug hits 130 passengers on Fred Olsen cruise ship

Around 130 people have caught a sickness and diarrhoea bug during a 12-night luxury cruise.

The passengers fell ill with a gastroenteritis-type illness on the Fred Olsen-operated Black Watch ship, which sailed from Fife to Scandinavia and then to the Russian city of St Petersburg.

The cruise started on 8 September with 778 passengers, and 29 people were still ill when it returned to Rosyth yesterday.

Specialist cleaners and health inspectors have been on board to check and clean the ship.

A spokeswoman for Fred Olsen said: “Every effort was made to contain the illness, in accordance with onboard medical protocols. Representatives from the local health authorities have been on board the ship this morning and have confirmed that they are satisfied with the containment and preventative measures being undertaken by the ship.”

Fred Olsen said passengers due to set off on Black Watch late last night for an Iberian cruise have been informed of the situation.